1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the mechanical arts. More specifically, the presentation invention relates to a free weight exercise device.
2. Description of the Related Art
As the world becomes increasingly health conscious, health clubs, including weight lifting facilities, grow increasingly common. With this growth, consumer demands have become increasingly sophisticated, requiring weight lifting devices that are more versatile, are more effective in isolating specific muscles or muscle groups, and are easier and safer to use. Although much attention has focused in past years on cable-type weight devices having variable resistance according to the shape of a cam, little work has gone into the advancement of free weight exercise devices.
U.S. Pat. No. D315,003 Huang discloses a free weight exercise device having three parallel tubular handles secured by opposing parallel triangular frames. U.S. Pat. No. D469,484 Dawson discloses a free weight exercise device formed from two tubular circles oriented on perpendicular planes and intersecting at two points, and a center tube extending from the first intersection to the second intersection. U.S. Pat. No. 4,673,179 Pengler is directed to a cube-shaped free weight. There are twelve lines at which the six surfaces of a cube intersect. These lines of intersection respectively form twelve handles, one handle along every line of intersection of two planes. An alternative embodiment includes a four-sided “pyramid structure” polygon, with handles formed by spaced openings at the intersection of two flat sides. The device may be variously hollow or solid.
There remains a need for a free-weight exercise device that can be used with one-handed exercises as well as two-handed exercises. There is further a need for a free-weight that will not roll when placed on the ground. There is further a need for a free weight that can rest in a stable orientation on the ground with a handle oriented along a vertical plane when the free-weight device is resting on the ground.